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Features of the species and spatial structure of macrobenthic sublittoral communities in a lagoon ecosystem on the Green Cape (the White Sea) were studied. 31 invertebrate species and 3 species of sea grasses and algae (Zostera marina, Cladophora sericea, and Fucus vesiculosus) were found in the sublittoral of the surveyed lagoon. The data on the species composition, diversity and spatial structure of macrobenthos communities indicate the predominance of littoral brackish-water and marine euryhaline macrobenthos species (Hydrobia ulvae, Tubificoides benedii, Chironomus salinarius, and Macoma balthica) in the coastal region of the lagoon, marine euryhaline littoral and sublittoral species (mainly polychaetes Heteromastus filiformis, Polydora ciliata, and Capitella capitata) in the central deeper region, and marine sublittoral less euryhaline species (Pontoporeia femorata, Anonyx nugans, Nereimyra punctata, Terebellides stroemi, Astarte montagui, Micronephthys minuta, and Atylus carinatus) at the exit from the lagoon. The ecosystem of the Green Cape lagoon belongs to lagoons significantly fenced off from the sea with depleted specific fauna (many littoral species) and largely influenced by carbon load and salinity. The reduced connection of the lagoon with the sea due to the continued rise of the White Sea coast (4 mm per year in this area) will contribute to a decrease in the species diversity and the predominance of few small eurytopic invertebrate species resistant to organic load, oxygen deficiency, and desalination.

Elevational patterns of tree diversity are well studied worldwide. However, few studies have examined how seedlings respond to elevational gradients and whether their responses vary across climatic zones. In this study, we established three elevational transects in tropical, subtropical and subalpine mountain forests in Yunnan Province, southern China, to examine the responses of tree species and their seedlings to elevational gradients. Within each transect, we calculated species diversity indices and composition of both adult trees and seedlings at different elevations. For both adult trees and seedlings, we found that species diversity decreased with increasing elevation in both tropical and subalpine transects. Species composition showed significant elevational separation within all three transects. Many species had specific elevational preferences, but abundant tree species that occurred at specific elevations tended to have very limited recruitment in the understory. Our results highlight that the major factors that determine elevational distributions of tree species vary across climatic zones. Specifically, we found that the contribution of air temperature to tree species composition increased from tropical to subalpine transects, whereas the contribution of soil moisture decreased across these transects., Highlights • Species richness and diversity decreased with increasing elevation in tropical and subalpine transects. • Species similarity between adult trees and seedlings decreased with increasing elevation in the tropical transect. • Species similarity between adult trees and seedlings increased with increasing elevation in the subalpine transect. • Effect of temperature on species distribution increased from tropical to subalpine zones. • The effect of soil moisture on species distribution decreased from tropical to subalpine zones. • Abundant tree species at each elevation often had very limited seedlings.

Fly development rates, and to a lesser extent succession data, can be used to provide an estimate of a minimum postmortem interval (mPMI). Yet, these data are most useful when a full account of species' ecology, seasonality, and distribution is known. We conducted succession experiments on human cadavers over different seasons near Sydney, Australia, to document forensically useful information, including the pre-appearance interval for carrion flies. We also compiled a detailed record of flies identified in casework collected in 156 cases distributed across New South Wales, Australia. We then compared the occurrence of fly species from both field and casework datasets to identify any consistencies or gaps to determine how useful species might be for forensic investigations. In the field experiments, we found differences in species diversity and abundance between seasons, as well as yearly variation between two winter seasons. Most fly species we recorded ovipositing showed a 2- or 3-day delay between adult arrival and oviposition in summer, with a longer delay in winter. Species that were previously encountered in casework, such as Calliphora augur (Fabricius, 1775) and Calliphora ochracea Schiner, 1868, were confirmed as forensically useful, with their colonization behavior and seasonal preferences documented here. Although not encountered in casework, we confirmed Hemipyrellia fergusoni Patton, 1925 as a primary colonizer of human cadavers. Our study emphasizes the need to link field and casework data for a complete understanding of all aspects of a carrion fly's ecology to assist forensic investigators in mPMI estimations.

Microbial communities are hugely diverse, but we do not yet understand how species invasions and extinctions drive and limit their diversity. On the one hand, the ecological limits hypothesis posits that diversity is primarily limited by environmental resources. On the other hand, the diversity-begets-diversity hypothesis posits that such limits can be easily lifted when new ecological niches are created by biotic interactions. To find out which hypothesis better explains the assembly of microbial communities, we used metabolic modelling. We represent each microbial species by a metabolic network that harbours thousands of biochemical reactions. Together, these reactions determine which carbon and energy sources a species can use, and which metabolic by-products—potential nutrients for other species—it can excrete in a given environment. We assemble communities by modelling thousands of species invasions in a chemostat-like environment. We find that early during the assembly process, diversity begets diversity. By-product excretion transforms a simple environment into one that can sustain dozens of species. During later assembly stages, the creation of new niches slows down, existing niches become filled, successful invasions become rare, and species diversity plateaus. Thus, ecological limitations dominate the late assembly process. We conclude that each hypothesis captures a different stage of the assembly process. Species interactions can raise a community's diversity ceiling dramatically, but only within limits imposed by the environment. ISSN:0962-1083 ISSN:1365-294X

Plant functional traits, especially leaf traits, are accepted proxies for ecosystem properties. Typically, they are measured at the species level, neglecting within-species variation. While there is extensive knowledge about functional trait changes (both within and across species) along abiotic gradients, little is known about biotic influences, in particular at local scales. Here, we used a large biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiment in subtropical China to investigate intra-specific trait changes of 16 tree species as a response to species richness of the local neighbourhood. We hypothesized that because of positive complementarity effects, species shift their leaf traits towards a more acquisitive growth strategy, when species richness of the local neighbourhood is higher. The trait shift should be most pronounced, when a focal tree's closest neighbour is from a different species, but should still be detectable as a response to species richness of the directly surrounding tree community. Consequently, we expected that trees with a con-specific closest neighbour have the strongest response to species richness of the surrounding tree community, i.e., the steepest increase of acquisitive traits. Our results indicate that species diversity promoted reduced competition and complementarity in resource use at both spatial scales considered. In addition, the closest neighbour had considerably stronger effects than the surrounding tree community. As expected, trees with a con-specific nearest neighbour showed the strongest trait shifts. However, the predicted positive effect of local hetero-specificity disappeared at the highest diversity levels of the surrounding tree community, potentially resulting from a higher probability to meet a strong competitor in a diverse environment. Our findings show that leaf traits within the same species vary not only in response to changing abiotic conditions, but also in response to local species richness. This highlights the benefit of including within-species trait variation when analysing relationships between plant functional traits and ecosystem functions.

Moths are phytophagous, cosmopolitan, agricultural pests, night pollinators, chiefly nocturnal and potential bio-indicators. The current study will be the first report on species diversity, species composition, abundance, and distributional pattern of moth fauna in Aravalli Hill Range Rajasthan. During the survey period of 2018–2019, 758 specimens of moths were collected pertaining to 34 species, 26 genera belonging to 05 families, and 13 subfamilies from three different sites of Aravalli Hill Range. Based on the number of genera, family Sphingidae was most dominant with 9 genera, and family Crambidae was least dominant with 2 genera. Based on the number of species, the family Sphingidae was the most dominant, representing 13 species, followed by Erebidae representing 11 species, Saturniidae and Noctuidae with 4 species each, the least dominant was Crambidae with 2 species. The diversity indices for moths have been calculated for the first time from the Aravalli Range of Rajasthan. Across the survey, Simpson’s Diversity Index (D′), Shannon Diversity Index (H′), Dominance & Evenness was calculated as 0.95, 3.3, 0.04, and 0.8, respectively, which reflects that moth fauna is diverse in the surveyed areas.

Quercus semecarpifolia Sm. is a multipurpose, ecologically and economically important tree species of the sub-alpine ecosystem in the Indian Himalayan Region, forming a major part of the forests between 2800 and 3700 m amsl. Because of various natural and anthropogenic factors, populations of several forest species are dwindling in the region. This warrants the study of the population status, regeneration pattern, physicochemical properties of soil, and habitat suitability model of Q. semecarpifolia in the sub-alpine ecosystem of the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP). In total, 37 populations, representing 4 habitats and 8 aspects between 2803 and 3613 m amsl and with 20–65° slope, were sampled to determine the species richness, density, total basal area, Species Diversity Index (H'), Concentration of dominance (Cd), and profile of the species. Among the populations, total tree density of Q. semecarpifolia ranged from 40 to 840 Ind ha−1, with a total basal area of 0.01–122.58 m2 ha−1, total shrub density of 240–1810 Ind ha−1, total herb density of 13.8–162.3 Ind m−2, total sapling density of 10–670 Ind ha−1, and total seedling density of 10–700 Ind ha−1. H' of trees ranged from 0.03 to 1.84, that of saplings between 0 and 2.44, of seedlings between 0 and 0.36, of shrubs between 0.43 and 2.28, and of herbs between 1.07 and 3.33. Cd for trees ranged from 0.00 to 1.00, that for saplings from 0.00 to 1.00, for seedlings from 0.00 to 1.00, for shrubs from 0.43 to 2.28, and for herbs from 0.07 to 3.33. Most individuals were in the range 73.6–94.5 cm circumference at breast height, and the least were in the ranges 136.6–157.5 cm and ≥ 220.6 cm. Seedlings and saplings were relatively very high in number. Tree density showed a positive correlation with total nitrogen (p ≤ 0.01, r = 0.35, n = 37) and a negative correlation with pH (p ≤ 0.01, r = -0.13, n = 37). The MaxEnt model calibration test for Q. semecarpifolia yielded satisfactory results (AUCmean = 0.899 ± 0.02). The BIO19 (precipitation in the coldest quarter) variable was the most influential and contributed 76.7% to the habitat model. The model identified an area of 145 km2 as suitable for reintroduction of the species in the GHNP. Frequent monitoring of species populations, standardization of propagation protocol for mass multiplication, awareness among the inhabitants, and establishment in in-situ and ex-situ conditions are recommended.

To evaluate the species diversity and strengthen the taxonomic identification of elasmobranchs in the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, a study was conducted in the southeast coastal region between January 2016 and March 2018. Using morphological and genetic identification techniques, this study presents 22 species from the region. Thirteen of these are new records. The new records consist of eight species from the family Dasyatidae, and one each from Mobulidae, Rhinobatidae, Narcinidae, Hemiscylliidae and Triakidae. Furthermore, four occurrences are first verified reports, and five are potential new records requiring further taxonomic investigation.

In southern Africa, archaeobotanical studies are intrinsically linked to prehistoric investigation and the discipline of anthracology has already proved its potential for palaeoenvironmental and palaeoecological reconstructions. While the region benefits from particularly good preservation of macro charcoal remains in its sites, anthracological studies remain underexplored and the methodological framework still needs to be developed and adapted to the diverse southern African ecological contexts. Here we provide a review of sampling methods and sample representativeness and we compare it with wood charcoal analyses performed in southern Africa. We used the charcoal-rich layers from the Later Stone Age sequence of Bushman Rock Shelter (BRS) to elaborate a sampling strategy producing samples that can both be analysed in a timely manner and that are statistically representative of the whole assemblage. In light of our results, we discuss the relevance of applying anthracological methods developed in European contexts. The evaluation of the taxa richness, diversity and size distribution at BRS leads to the recommendation of the identification of at least 500 charcoal fragments per stratigraphic unit. Thick layers should be split into two distinct samples, one comprising the top half and the other one the bottom half of the layer. The analysis of thin layers with limited charcoal abundance necessitates increasing the surface of sampling. All size-classes should be analysed to avoid any sampling bias.

Urban green spaces are often subject to intensive management and therefore only provide habitat for very few plant and animal species. Many studies have already proven that less intensive management of near-natural grassland habitats can increase species diversity, for example of butterflies. However, there is still a lack of knowledge as to what extent less intensive management of urban green spaces can promote urban butterfly diversity. Therefore, we examined parameters that determine the number of butterfly species in less maintained or even abandoned urban green spaces. We expected butterfly species richness and observation numbers to be affected by different management regimes. Butterfly surveys were carried out on 56 sites in the city of Hannover, Germany, in three consecutive years. The sites were subject to different management regimes. We explored parameters such as area size, the diversity of nectar plant species and habitat diversity for each site. A total of 34 species were recorded, with a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 17 species per site and year. The extreme drought and heat in 2018 clearly influenced the results of our study and this was reflected in massive decreases of observation numbers for some species. Less intensive management showed preferable effects in comparison to intensive management, but area size and nectar plants were more important factors influencing butterfly species richness and number of observations. Our results suggest that site parameters such as area size, nectar plant species richness or number of habitat types had stronger influences on butterflies than variations of extensive management. We conclude that less intensive urban green space management for good butterfly habitats is not a question of grazing, mowing or temporary abandonment, but instead must aim to increase nectar plant and habitat diversity.

Background Herbs are an important part of the forest ecosystem, and their diversity and biomass can reflect the restoration of vegetation after forest thinning disturbances. Based on the near-mature secondary coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest in Jilin Province Forestry Experimental Zone, this study analyzed seasonal changes of species diversity and biomass of the understory herb layer after different intensities of thinning. Results The results showed that although the composition of herbaceous species and the ranking of importance values were affected by thinning intensity, they were mainly determined by seasonal changes. Across the entire growing season, the species with the highest importance values in thinning treatments included Carex pilosa, Aegopodium alpestre, Meehania urticifolia, and Filipendula palmata, which dominated the herb layer of the coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest. The number of species, Margalef index, Shannon-Wiener index and Simpson index all had their highest values in May, and gradually decreased with months. Pielou index was roughly inverted “N” throughout the growing season. Thinning did not increase the species diversity. Thinning can promote the total biomass, above- and below-ground biomass. The number of plants per unit area and coverage were related to the total biomass, above- and below-ground biomass. The average height had a significantly positive correlation with herb biomass in May but not in July. However, it exerted a significantly negative correlation with herb biomass in September. The biomass in the same month increased with increasing thinning intensity. Total herb biomass, above- and below-ground biomass showed positive correlations with Shannon-Winner index, Simpson index and Pielou evenness index in May. Conclusions Thinning mainly changed the light environment in the forest, which would improve the plant diversity and biomass of herb layer in a short time. And different thinning intensity had different effects on the diversity of understory herb layer. The findings provide theoretical basis and reference for reasonable thinning and tending in coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests.

The Selva Zoque region is characterized by a great variety of ecosystems for which there is little information about reptile species diversity and their conservation status. This study is the first assessment of the species richness, composition, and conservation status of reptiles of this region. Additionally, this information is compared with that of seven other tropical regions in northern Mesoamerica. In total, 141 native reptile species belonging to 81 genera and 29 families are recorded for the Selva Zoque region. Sixty species (42% of the total) recorded in Selva Zoque are in high-risk categories according to the Mexican Ministry of the Environment, the highest number for the Mexican regions of Mesoamerica. According to the IUCN, six species are in high-risk categories, seven species are in Data Deficient, and 23 (16%) have not been evaluated yet. According to the Environmental Vulnerability Scores approach, 28 species (20%) are in the high vulnerability category. The Selva Zoque species composition is most similar to Los Tuxtlas and Lacandona regions, and most dissimilar to Sian Ka´an Biosphere Reserve. The reptilian fauna of Selva Zoque has a distinctive composition, with the highest number (11 species) of endemic reptiles in the northern Mesoamerican, and species from two biogeographic provinces: the Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Pacific Coast. These results indicate that the Selva Zoque is the most diverse region in native reptile species in northern Mesoamerica, highlighting it as extremely important for the conservation of the reptile fauna at local (southern Mexico) and regional levels (northern Mesoamerica).

Habitat loss and fragmentation are critical threats that cause biodiversity loss. However, the driving factors of species diversity in fragmented habitats are complex. This study was conducted in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China, a region that has suffered from severe habitat fragmentation due to agricultural activities. Based on the plant species richness, patch characteristics (patch area, fractal dimension, and isolation), landscape characteristics (grassland area ratio within buffer zones with different radii (50–500 m) around each patch), and environmental characteristics (mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, altitude, extremely high temperature, extremely low temperature, slope, and aspect) of 82 remnant grassland patches, we first explored the appropriate buffer zone with the most powerful impact on species richness of remnant grassland patches (SRP). Furthermore, we analyzed the relationships between a series of predictors and SRP. Finally, we confirmed the critical driving factors of SRP through a random forest analysis. The results showed that the landscape scale with the most powerful impact on SRP was 150 m. The patch area, grassland area ratio of a buffer zone with a 150 m radius, mean annual precipitation, and slope all had significantly positive effects on SRP. Among these factors, patch area and patch isolation were the top two driving factors of SRP. Our study suggests that large and highly connected patches should be protected for the construction of natural reserves. Meanwhile, the habitat around patches within a suitable range should also not be ignored. We highlight that the island biogeography theory could be used to predict plant species richness of remnant grassland patches in the agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China.

Introduction. Indoor air quality is an essential component of a healthy human environment. Air conditioning units can affect indoor air quality, including mycogenic contamination of the air if the condition is not adequately monitored. Material and method. The paper presents the results of a mycological study of air samples and flushes from the surface of filters and gratings of air conditioning devices taken from 40 residential and office premises. Results. The presence of micromycetes fungi was noted in 100% of the samples taken from the surface of filters and air conditioning grids and 81.6% of air samples. A greater species diversity of fungi (26 species) was revealed in air samples compared to air conditioning devices (15 species). A higher frequency of occurrence of dark-coloured species of fungi, incl. Aspergillus spp. and Alternaria spp., and fungal species belonging to the third group of pathogenicity, were noticed on the surface of air conditioners, compared with air samples, in which Penicillium spp., Fusarium spp., Trichoderma spp. were more often detected. It was found that the surface of air conditioners functioned sporadically. For a short time (28 rooms), there is a large species diversity of mycobiota at a low or moderate level of seeding (no more than 10 3 CFU). In rooms with long-term continuous air conditioners (12 rooms), a high level of seeding (more than 10 4 CFU) by 1-2 species of fungi was more often noted. The existence of a close relationship, confirmed by the values of the Pearson contingency coefficient, between the species composition of the mycobiota of air conditioning devices and air, and a higher level of mycogenic contamination in rooms with long-term continuous operation of air conditioners, were shown. Conclusion. Thus, air conditioning devices can be a source of mycogenic air contamination, especially during long-term continuous operation, which must be taken into account to ensure indoor air quality. Contribution: Khaldeeva E.V. — the concept and design of the study; collection and processing of material, writing a text; Glushko N.I. — collection of literature data, collection and processing of material; Lisovskaya S.A. — editing, collection and processing of material. All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version. Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Acknowledgment. The work was carried out within the framework of the State Assignment in accordance with the Branch Research Program of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-being (Rospotrebnadzor) “Problem-oriented scientific research in the field of epidemiological surveillance of infectious and parasitic diseases” (for 2016-2020) p. 2.4.8.

This study was supported by Grants from the US National Science Foundation including OCE 1458845 and the Santa Barbara Coastal Long-Term Ecological Research project (OCE 1232779, OCE 1831937). Declines in species diversity carry profound implications for ecosystem functioning. Communities of primary producers and consumers interact on evolutionary as well as ecological time scales, shaping complex relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. In subsidized ecosystems, resource inputs are independent of consumer actions, offering a simplified view of the relationship between species diversity and function for higher trophic levels. With food webs supported by substantial but variable inputs of detritus from adjacent marine ecosystems, sandy beaches are classic examples of subsidized ecosystems. We investigated effects of consumer species diversity and identity on a key ecological function, consumption of kelp wrack from nearshore giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forests. We assessed effects of species richness on kelp consumption by experimentally manipulating richness of six common species of invertebrate detritivores in laboratory mesocosms and conducting field assays of kelp consumption on beaches. Consumer richness had no effect on kelp consumption in the field and a slight negative effect in laboratory experiments. Kelp consumption was most strongly affected by the species composition of the detritivore community. Species identity and body size of intertidal detritivores drove variation in kelp consumption rates in both experiments and field assays. Our results provide further evidence that species traits, rather than richness per se, influence ecosystem function most, particularly in detrital-based food webs with high functional redundancy across species. On sandy beaches, where biodiversity is threatened by rising sea levels and expanding development, our findings suggest that loss of large-bodied consumer species could disproportionally impact ecosystem function. Postprint Postprint

Species diversity and abundance patterns of epiphytic orchids were studied in Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, in the Western Ghats of northern Kerala. Habitats sampled were wet evergreen (EVEG), montane wet evergreen (MEVG), moist deciduous (MDEC), and semi evergreen (SEVG), on a gradient of altitude from 60 to 1,589 m. Selective tree scanning on linear line transects was deployed (n= 40) across spatial units. A total of 39 orchid species were recorded. Rarefied species richness was maximum in the EVEG (20) habitat. Best suited rank abundance models were analysed for epiphytic orchids in each habitat and checked for significant differences. Bootstrap and Jackknife-1 estimators and species accumulation curves suggested higher species richness than observed, therefore more effort in sampling was needed in order to record all epiphytic orchids of the area. The difference in species richness between habitat types was not statistically significant (ANOVA). 38% of recorded epiphytic orchid species were endemic.

Understanding the relationship of soil carbon storage and species diversity in grasslands can provide insights into managing these ecosystems. We studied relationships among soil C and plant species richness within ~ 9700 ha of grasslands in Colorado, US. Using 141 grassland transects, we tested how soil C was related to plant species richness, grassland type, soil texture, and prairie dog presence. Soil C was significantly, positively related to plant species richness, while native perennial graminoid species richness exhibited an even stronger positive relationship. However, the relationship of soil C and plant richness was not found in all three grassland types studied, but instead was unique to the most common grassland type, mixed grass prairie, and absent from both xeric tallgrass and mesic tallgrass prairie. The presence of a single indicator species, Andropogon gerardii, showed a significant, positive relationship with soil carbon. Our best possible model explained 45% of the variance in soil C using species richness, grassland type, and their interaction. Surprisingly, soil C was negatively related to soil clay, suggesting that surface clays amplify evaporation and water runoff rather than protecting soil organic matter from decomposition. Soil C was negatively related to prairie dog presence, suggesting that prairie dogs do not enhance soil carbon sequestration; in fact, prairie dog occupied sites had significantly lower soil C, likely related to loss of topsoil from prairie dog colonies. Our results suggest that management for species richness provides the co-benefit of soil C storage, and high clay and prairie dog disturbance compromises both. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00442-021-04992-x.

The presence/absence and abundance of benthic foraminifera in successive discrete beds (Shattuck “zones”) of the Miocene Calvert and Choptank formations, exposed at the Calvert Cliffs, Maryland, USA, allows for investigation of community dynamics over space and time. The stratigraphic distribution of benthic foraminifera is documented and interpreted in the context of sea-level change, sequence stratigraphy, and the previously published distribution of mollusks. Neritic benthic foraminiferal communities of four sea-level cycles over ∼4 million years of the middle Miocene, encompassing the Miocene Climatic Optimum and the succeeding middle Miocene Climate Transition, are dominated by the same abundant species. They differ in the varying abundance of common species that occur throughout most of the studied section and in the different rare species that appear and disappear. Transgressive systems tracts (TSTs) have higher species diversity than highstand systems tracts (HSTs) but much lower density of specimens. In contrast to some previous research, all beds in the studied section are interpreted as being from the inner part of a broad, low gradient shelf and were deposited at water depths of less than ∼50 m. It is suggested that species are recruited from a regional species pool of propagules throughout the duration of TSTs. Recruitment is curtailed during highstands leading to lower diversity in the HSTs.

Introduction. Ethiopia is one of the most avifauna rich countries in Africa. Avifaunal surveys are required to inform conservation decisions and enhance land management for biodiversity. Avifaunal surveys from Ethiopia are lacking. This study examines species composition, relative abundance, and habitat association of avian fauna in Zegie Peninsula forest patches and associated wetlands from surveys carried out from August 2018 to March 2019, covering both the wet and dry seasons. Data Collection. Forest, shrub, lakeshore, and wetland habitats were identified as ecologically relevant habitats in the study area for data collection. Data were collected using point count and line transect methods, for 24 days in total for both seasons in the morning and afternoon. Results. A total of 96 species of birds were identified during the whole study period. Out of the total, 40 species were observed during the wet season, 13 during dry and 43 species in both seasons. There was significant variation of species distribution among habitats. During the wet season, the highest species diversity was recorded in the wetland habitat followed by forest habitat. During the dry season, avian diversity was the highest in the lakeshore followed by wetlands. The highest evenness was observed in the shrubland during both the wet and dry seasons. During the wet season, the highest species similarity was recorded between wetland and lakeshore habitats, and during the dry season, the highest species similarity was recorded between forest and shrub habitats. Based on encounter rate data, 64 (66.66%) of the avian species were uncommon. Conclusions. Compared to previous studies conducted in the study area, species diversity was lower. This might be due to various anthropogenic activities such as deforestation of trees for timber and cutting trees for firewood. Therefore, awareness creation should be given to the local community to reduce habitat destruction due to various human-induced factors.

Author(s): Choi, Emma S; Furtado, Laura E; Burton, Ronald S | Abstract: Ichthyoplankton studies can be used to assess the abundance, distribution, and reproductive activity of marine fishes, but few studies have monitored spawning activity at inshore sites. This study utilized weekly plankton sampling to construct a year-long time series of fish spawning at 6 pier sites along the California coast—Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, Newport Beach, and La Jolla; sampling at the La Jolla site continues ongoing monitoring initiated in 2012. Fish eggs were sorted from the collected plankton and identified to species level using DNA barcoding of the COI and 16S genes. While only one year of data has been collected from 5 of the sites, the 2 sites north of Point Conception show markedly reduced diversity compared to the southern sites. Although the species observed reflect the local environment of each site, this pattern of reduced diversity at the northern sites is consistent with the well-documented decline in species richness with latitude along the California coast. The 7-year time series from La Jolla has revealed that spawning activity varies greatly among years, both in terms of egg production and species diversity, with a continuing trend of highest egg numbers in years with colder average winter sea surface temperature.

Historically, habitat edges were thought to increase diversity by combining communities from two habitats, but empirical results are mixed. Variation in edge responses may be driven by lumping specialists and generalists with divergent responses. We examined arthropod communities associated with a habitat edge in an intertidal salt marsh in New Jersey. We predicted that herbivores, largely specialists, would decline along the habitat edge due to their failure to expand across the boundary, and specialist natural enemies should track prey. Generalists should be less impacted by the edge if they use resources from both sides. Thus, habitat edges should affect species composition more than species diversity. We studied the edge responses of 115 arthropod species to the habitat edge formed between Spartina patens (SP) and Spartina alterniflora (SA) throughout the growing season. We found that the edge between SA and SP affected the abundance and composition of the associated arthropod community, but not species richness. Composition of herbivores, epigeic feeders, specialist natural enemies, and generalist predators shifted not only between SA and SP interiors, but also the edges. Compositional shifts were driven by dietary or habitat specialists. We found that edges change community composition via divergent responses by species with different resource requirements. This change in composition is not between two disparate habitat types but two congeneric grass species. Our results demonstrate that biodiversity losses due to edge effects associated with habitat fragmentation will not be random but will be driven by specialization and resource use.

Studying wild relatives of cultivated plants in each specific region is an essential component in assessing the state of national plant genetic resources. This is especially true for the regions of the Russian Caucasus, with its tremendous diversity of plant species. This paper presents the results of exploring crop wild relatives (CWR) in natural plant communities of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic. The author conducted an inventory of CWR and analysis of their species composition in Karachay-Cherkessia. The CWR list includes 516 species belonging to 134 genera of 36 families; in this list, 449 species from 107 genera of 33 families are native to this region. The Dzheguta floristic district is the richest in CWR species diversity (391 species). There are 350 and 346 species in the Arkhyz and Uchkulan districts, respectively, and 301 species in the Cherkessk district. Species were ranked according to their agricultural value and economic importance: the 1st rank was assigned to 149 plant species, 2nd rank to 17, 3rd rank to 32, 4th rank to 97, and 5th rank to 222 species. In the context of their economic use, the species for feed (158) and food (136) purposes dominated over those for medicinal (60), melliferous (54), ornamental (53), industrial (51), and revegetation (5) applications. The list of priority conservation species was compiled for CWR of Karachay-Cherkessia according to the criteria of rarity and vulnerability, based on the analysis of the CWR species distribution over the studied area and their assessment for useful economic and biological traits. A map showing localities of these species within the Republic is presented, and recommendations are given for their effective conservation.

Recently, human activities have impacted biodiversity-rich forest in western Rwanda, creating a need to enhance restoration activities of degraded lands in the region. To evaluate the effects of reforestation activities on the community composition of soil-litter ants, research was conducted in Gishwati tropical montane forest, located in northern-western part of Rwanda. The ant fauna was studied in reforested lands dominated by regenerated native species and exotic tree species. Further, a primary forest made of native trees served as a reference. In each forest type, nine sampling points were used to sample ants. Ant specimens were collected using pitfalls, hand sampling and Winkler extractor. They were identified to subfamilies, genus and species levels using dichotomous keys, and also statistically analysed for species richness, diversity, evenness and community composition. We collected a total of 2,481 individuals from 5 subfamilies, 18 genera and 35 species. Higher abundance, diversity and species richness were found in soil-litter under natural primary and secondary forests dominated by regenerated native plant species compared to exotic tree forest. The ant community composition analysis indicated higher similarities in ant species sampled under primary native forest and secondary forest dominated by regenerated native species. Reforestation by regenerating native species may be given priority in restoration of degraded lands due to their importance in species richness and species diversity.

Sensors, such as accelerometers, in tracking devices allow for detailed bio-logging to understand animal behaviour, even in remote places where direct observation is difcult. To study breeding in birds remotely, one needs to understand how to recognise a breeding event from tracking data, and ideally validate this by direct observation. We tagged 49 adult female pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) with transmitter neckbands in Finland in spring of 2018 and 2019, and in Svalbard in summer 2018, and validated inferences from tracking by feld observations of nesting sites and family status in 2018–2020 (54 spring–summer tracks). We estimated nesting locations by taking the median coordinates of GPS-fxes at which the goose was motionless (overall dynamic body acceleration, ODBA < 1) on days with a daily median ODBA < 1, which approached the real nesting locations closely (within 1.6–3.7 m, n = Background: Semi-natural pastures are unfertilized grasslands with a long history of traditional low-input grazing management. This kind of pastures are recognized for their high species richness. However, as a consequence of modernization of agriculture, many of the semi-natural pastures have been lost during the last century, leading to a serious threat to farmland biodiversity. Semi-natural pastures are relatively low in productivity. Hence, to increase proftability, farmers may want to give the grazing animals access to additional nutrient sources. This can be done either as supplementary feeding, or by fencing the semi-natural pastures into the same enclosure as improved, more nutrient-rich, pastures. These practices are, however, controversial. It is argued that since semi-natural pastures are species-rich partly because they are nutrient-poor, introducing additional nutrients into the system should be avoided. Accordingly, in Sweden, these interventions are often prohibited while receiving fnancial subsidies for management of semi-natural pastures. However, since many farmers are dependent on such support to maintain their pastures, these prohibitions often cause problems. The question has been raised whether giving the grazers access to additional nutrient sources really afect the biodiversity in semi-natural pastures, as is assumed. The primary aim of the proposed systematic review is to answer this question. Method: Peer-reviewed and grey literature will be searched for using bibliographic databases, search engines, specialist websites and stakeholder contacts. The references will be screened for relevance according to a predefned set of eligibility criteria. The criteria will be tested and clarifed iteratively, until consistency in interpretations is achieved. Thereafter, the literature will be screened in two stages, frst based upon title and abstract and then by examining full texts. Full text screening will be performed with blinded decisions by two independent reviewers. Each relevant study will then be critically appraised, based on a set of predefned validity criteria. A narrative synthesis will be provided, outlining the evidence base in terms of bibliographic information and study metadata. If possible, quantitative syntheses based on meta-analyses will be performed. Identifed relevant knowledge gaps will be highlighted and discussed. Grasslands, Grazing management, Supplementary feeding, Creep feeding, Nutrient relocation, Biological diversity, Species diversity, Functional diversity, Cattle, Livestock

Zoantharians are colonial cnidarians commonly found in shallow tropical Caribbean coral reefs, and are known to be globally distributed. Common species in genera Zoanthus and Palythoa occur at Toco, Trinidad, where they are more abundant than their Scleractinia counterparts relative to benthic coverage. In this study, distribution, morphological and molecular data were collected to determine species and symbiont identification to provide more insight on zoantharians. The Line Intercept Point (LIT) transect method recorded coverage at three sites: Salybia (SB), Pequelle (PB), and Grande L’Anse (GA) Bays along the northeastern coast. Variations in morphology, such as tentacle count, oral disk color and diameter were collected from colonies in situ. All specimens were zooxanthellate, and molecular and phylogenetic analyses were done by sequencing the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region for species and symbiont identification, respectively. Results showed mean Zoantharia percentage cover was 32.4% ± 5.1 (X ± SE) at SB, 51.3% ± 6.5 (PB), and 72.2% ± 6.1 at GA. Zooxanthellate zoantharians were identified as Palythoa caribaeorum, Palythoa grandiflora, Zoanthus pulchellus, and Zoanthus sociatus. Symbiodiniaceae genera were identified as Cladocopium and Symbiodinium in Palythoa and Zoanthus spp., respectively. Although this is the first molecular examination of zoantharians, and their symbionts in Trinidad, more research is needed to identify and document species distribution and symbiont biodiversity to understand their ecology in these dynamic ecosystems.

Until now, information on the bryozoan fauna of the Kara Sea was as the most unordered in comparison to other Arctic seas of Russia. The information in literature is mainly based on the data collected more than 80 years ago. Collections carried out over the last 30 years made it possible to expand the understanding not only of the species richness of this group, but also to study its spatial variation within the sea. At the moment, the species list of bryozoans in the Kara Sea includes 230 names. Of these, 42 species were recorded for the first time in this area of the Arctic. The fauna richness varies with depth and geographic location of sampling sites. Comparison of the species composition of bryozoans within 6 sectors defined on the basis of differences in environmental parameters indicates the presence of a single faunistic complex. The biogeographic composition of the fauna is characterized by the predominance of the boreal-arctic species (67%) over the arctic (30%); the share of boreal species is only 3%. Comparison of bryozoans from the Kara Sea with faunas from other areas of the Arctic region indicates a closer similarity of its fauna with the fauna of the Barents Sea than with the fauna of bryozoans from the Laptev Sea.

Although mountainous habitats contribute substantially to global biodiversity, comparatively little is known about biogeographic patterns of distributions of alpine species across multiple mountain ranges. Here, we present a detailed analysis of the distributions and phylogenetic affinities of alpine seed plant lineages across North, Central, and South American mountain systems. Using a large dataset that characterizes the elevational niches of American seed plants in a continuously valued way, we related the proportion of alpine habitat occupied by plant lineages to their biogeographic distributions at a regional scale and place these results in a phylogenetic context. We found alpine species diversity to be greatest in the central Andes and western North America, and that assemblages with lower phylogenetic diversity contained species with a greater degree of alpine specialization. In particular, near-Arctic/boreal alpine communities were characterized by low phylogenetic diversity and higher degrees of alpine specialization, whereas the opposite was observed for southern Patagonian communities. These results suggest that abiotic filtering alone in these climatically similar regions is unlikely to explain alpine community assembly. Nevertheless, the overall relative rarity of alpine specialists, and the tendency for such specialists to be most closely related to montane lineages, suggested that filtering was still an important factor in shaping alpine community structure. This work corroborates the importance of a nuanced and scale-dependent perspective on the ‘history-filtering’ debate axis, as both factors have likely contributed to modern biodiversity patterns observed in alpine plant communities across the Americas.

Wildfires represent an important factor in the disturbance in Mediterranean ecosystems, although the effects of wildfires on the insect communities of mountain environments remain largely unknown. This research investigated the effect of fire on dung beetles in a Mediterranean high-altitude area, located in Central Italy (1500 m elevation). Sampling in each of the three main vegetation types of the study area (conifer plantation, beechwood forest and grassland) used pitfall traps during Spring to Autumn. For each habitat, three burnt and three unburnt sites were sampled. We considered the following community structure parameters: abundance, richness, Shannon diversity and Simpson diversity. Effects of fire, habitat and sampling period were investigated using generalised mixed-effects models. Abundance, species richness and diversity were higher in the grassland than in the two forest habitats and June was the month with the lowest values because of the late emergence of insects at high altitudes. Fire negatively affected dung beetle abundance, but not diversity. Forest habitats were less favourable to dung beetle recolonisation than the secondary grassland. Thus, dung beetles are sensitive to vegetation type, but not to fire, possibly because of their high recolonisation capabilities and preference for open habitats.

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the role of seed bank during ecosystem transitions from arid grassland to shrubland. Methods We explored the aboveground vegetation, seed bank and soil environmental factors at 29 sites along a moisture gradient that served as a space-for-time substitution in the Qaidam Basin on the Tibetan Plateau to test whether changes seed bank composition or changes in the ability of the seed bank to restore aboveground vegetation could lead to ecosystem transition. Results We found that the composition of the aboveground vegetation presented nonlinear changes with decreased soil moisture and showed an inflection point in the threshold zone on the spatial scale of ecosystem transition from arid grassland to shrubland; however, an inflection point was not observed for the seed bank. Surprisingly, an inflection point of the similarity between the aboveground vegetation and seed bank also emerged at this threshold zone (ecosystem transition from arid grassland and shrubland). Conclusions Our results suggest that the transition from arid grassland to shrub ecosystem is not caused by changes of the seed bank composition but by the inhibition of the seed bank's restorability to aboveground vegetation. Future work on changes in vegetation composition and species diversity with ecosystem transitions should consider the belowground seed bank.

The species composition of eight shrub communities were investigated in order to understand the species diversity of plant communities in buffer zone and wetland of Momianhe stream along a long-term mine waste area, Lanping county, Yunnan province, China. Dominant plant species and soil samples were collected to analysis heavy metal (Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd) accumulation characteristics. The results showed that 100% samples for Zn, Pb, Cd, and 87.5% samples for Cu in the investigated area exceeded the Yunnan geochemical background value of the heavy metals in the soil. There were 36 plants species in communities, among which Epilobium pyrricholophum, Elsholtzia argyi, Artemisia vestita, Tripogon chinensis were the dominant species. Plant species, the number of individuals, Ecological Dominance (Do), Shannon-Wiener index (H'), Simpson diversity index (Dsi) and Pielou evenness index (Epi) were affected by Cd and Cu contents of the soil and sediment. Therefore, the results indicate that Cu and Cd contents and ecological risk in the process of long-term vegetation restoration of small catchment in lead-zinc mine waste area should pay more attention.

Mowing is a common management practice in grassland ecosystems. However, how mowing affects fine root dynamics remains poorly explored. A field experiment was conducted to study how mowing influences root dynamics in artificial and natural grasslands for three consecutive years with root-window method. Root production among the treatments varied from 312 to 681 m m−2 each year and fine root turnover varied between 1.58 and 3.41 times per year. Fine root production, root mortality and root standing crop exhibited clear seasonal patterns in both the natural and artificial grasslands, and these were mainly driven by precipitation and temperature. Root production and root turnover responded differently to mowing in different types of grassland. In the artificially restored grassland, mowing significantly increased root production and root turnover (15.01% and 13.06%, respectively) and decreased the root lifespan by 14.60%. In contrast, none these effects were significant in the naturally restored grassland. The mowing-induced increase in root production and root turnover in the artificially restored grassland was mainly due to an enhancement in aboveground biomass and soil moisture. However, the lack of an effect on these parameters from mowing in the naturally restored grassland may be due to the higher species diversity. Our findings demonstrate that mowing might accelerate root turnover and improve belowground productivity in the artificially restored grassland, highlighting that suitable mowing is an efficient way to manage artificial grasslands from the perspective of the dynamics of root system.

Animal distribution in a landscape depends mostly on the availability of resources. This can be facilitated by other species that have positive effects on local species diversity and impact community structure. Species that significantly change resource availability are often termed ecosystem engineers. Identifying these species is key but predicting where they have large or small impacts is an even greater challenge. The stress-gradient hypothesis predicts that the importance of facilitative interactions that shape community structure and function will increase in stressful and harsh environments. In most environments, conditions will fluctuate between harsh and benign periods, yet how the impacts of ecosystem engineers will change in different conditions has received little attention. Monitoring for extended periods will increase the understanding of how engineers may mitigate the extreme differences between changing seasons. We investigated the role of sociable weavers (Philetairus socius) as ecosystem engineers and examined how the association of species to weaver colonies may vary across a seasonal (temporal) gradient. Sociable weavers build large colonies that are home to hundreds of weaver individuals but also host a wide range of other animal species. We investigated the use of weaver colonies by terrestrial and arboreal vertebrates and birds throughout a calendar year, encompassing harsh and benign periods. We demonstrate that the presence of sociable weaver colonies creates centres of animal activity. Colonies were used by the local Kalahari animal community for foraging, shade, territorial behaviours and roosting sites. Furthermore, animal activity increased with increased primary productivity, but this was not restricted to weaver colonies, suggesting that the importance of colonies does not directionally change across environmental conditions. Our results were not consistent with predictions of the stress-gradient hypothesis across a temporal gradient. We demonstrate the importance of sociable weavers as ecological engineers and the significance of their colonies in structuring the surrounding animal community. Colonies appear to provide a range of different resources for different species. Sociable weaver colonies have large ecological importance to local animal communities and, by mitigating environmental stress, may be increasingly important as human-driven climate change advances.

The floristic study along the Sherichhu River was carried out to determine the riparian plant species diversity and distribution pattern. A total of 34 study plots were laid on either side of the riverbank and recorded 72 woody species belonging to 52 families and 61 genera. Based on ocular inspections and topography, the areas were categorised into U-shaped and V-shaped valley. These two valleys, though differing in topography, has fostered the existence of diverse plant species in the study area. A considerable variation in the species diversity and richness was observed between the V-shaped and U-shaped regions based on the Shannon diversity index (P = 0.013) and species richness (P = 0.005) values. The Importance Value Indices (IVI) were highest for Desmodium elegans, Mallotus philippensis, and Rhus paniculata in the V-shaped area and Murraya koenigii Duabanga grandiflora and Quercus glauca had the highest IVI in the U-shaped area. Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Anacardiaceae exhibited a high family value index (FVI) in the V-shaped area, while the U-shaped area had a high FVI for Rutaceaec, Lythraceae, Fagaceae, and Myrtaceae. Structurally, the Mallotus-Desmodium-Rhus community was dominant in the V-shaped area, while Duabanga-Terminalia-Murraya and Quercus-glauca woodland communities were dominant in U-shaped valley. The CCA analysis revealed that the slope and litter thickness had shown greater influence on the plant species composition. In general, topography, micro-habitat conditions, river channel width, and flood regimes may have influenced riparian plant species diversity and distribution patterns. Thus, identifying key plant community types and underlying environmental conditions may help to accomplish and safeguard forest resources in the area. Riparian vegetation along the Sherichhu River is also a habitat for medicinal plants (11 out of 72 woody species), a source of food and income to rural communities. Thus, future studies should also focus on devising appropriate strategies for protecting and conserving Bhutan's riparian ecosystem from global warming.

Wetlands are highly productive systems that act as habitats for a variety of fauna and flora. Despite their ecohydrological significance, wetland ecosystems are severely under threat from global en...

A survey of plant parasitic nematodes (PPN) abundance and diversity was conducted in foothills of Western Ghats at Coimbatore and Nilgiris districts in Tamil Nadu, India. Our study pointed to evaluate the PPN association with weeds, shrubs, and herbs including some agricultural crop cover both agro and forest ecosystems. Soil samples were collected around the rhizosphere of the plants and nematodes were isolated, counted under a microscope and identified by morphological characters. We collected 415 soil samples around the rhizosphere of 84 major plant families. Among 84 plant families, we found 13 PPN genera those generally responsible for cash crop yield loss. The genus Helicotylenchus spp., and Meloidogyne spp., were found frequent (226,136 samples) and rarely Hemicycliophora spp.,. The PPN diversity was measured by Shannon diversity index which showed that the diversity of PPN found higher in plant species those from the families Rosaceae (2.20) and Rubiaceae (2.13). We also recorded the PPN richness was dominated in four plant families. This result reveals that the PPN diversity and richness are positively correlated with host plant species diversity and altitude. Further, our study concludes that a wild plant in the forest ecosystem behaves like a reservoir of PPN.

DNA barcodes in species tagging have become a popular tool for taking inventories of species from different groups worldwide. The present study aimed to generate DNA barcodes of butterfly species from the Western Himalayas in Uttarakhand, India. The Indian Western Himalayan region (IWHR) has been explored to a limited extent about butterfly species’ diversity. However, the IWHR is prone to environmental change, and slight variations in climatic conditions can influence species diversity and change butterflies' range. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene was first used to generate the DNA barcode for butterflies from this region on a broad scale. 28 morphologically identified species, consisting of 102 sequences, were finally grouped into 26 species, with only two species showing ambiguity in species identification. These species had

The Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) at ∼40 Ma is a significant global warming event associated with pronounced changes in the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. The Kohat Formation in the Kohat Basin (eastern Tethys, Pakistan) is studied for identifying the response of larger benthic foraminifera (LBF) to MECO. The LBF assemblages in the Kohat Formation, covering from the Shallow Benthic Zones (SBZ) 15 to 17, suggest middle Lutetian to early Bartonian in age. Microfacies analyses indicate a lagoonal (inner carbonate ramp facies belt) to open marine (middle carbonate ramp facies belt) paleodepositional environment of the Kohat Formation. A distinct positive δ13C shift marks the stratigraphic position of the MECO in this formation. At the Peak-MECO event that is marked by the onset of the positive carbon isotope excursion (CIE), no evident compositional variation in the LBF assemblages is observed. However, significant changes in the LBF assemblages with the local first and last occurrences of some LBF genera can be observed in the Post-MECO and CIE recovery phase. These changes are verified by the sudden disappearance of Alveolina and orthophragminids and initial dominance of larger shell-size Nummulites fabianii, Heterostegina, and Linderina species accompanied by an increase in the species diversity. Here, we argue that the change in the observed LBF assemblages in the uppermost part of the Kohat Formation might be related to a larger foraminiferal turnover occurring during the Post-MECO event and corresponds to the CIE recovery phase.

Saudi Arabia has no permanent lakes or rivers but has wet meadows, which are desert wetlands temporarily formed due to the seasonal rainfall. This work investigates the environmental variables' impact on the vegetation pattern in the desert-wetland ecosystem in Taif highlands. Forty-one stands were randomly selected representing three main habitats (wet meadows, slopes, and terraces) to study their floristic features and vegetation analysis. A total of 142 species were recorded belonging to 111 genera and 45 families in the desert wetlands of Taif Province. About 64.1% were natural plants, while 25.4% were segetal weeds, 7.7% were aquatic plants, and 2.8% were plants that escaped from cultivation. Therophytes dominated over the other life forms, and mono-regional taxa were the dominant chorotype. Multivariate analysis of the recorded plants produced eight vegetation groups; four of them (A: Potamogeton nodosus-Nasturtium officinale, B: Lemna gibba-Leptochloa fusca, C: Typha domingensis- Xanthium strumarium and D: Conyza stricta- Cyperus longus) represented the wet meadows, while two (E: Acacia gerrardii- Commicarpus plumbagineus and H: Osteospermum vaillantii- Eragrostis Pilosa) for slopes and other two (F: Argemone ochroleuca-Cyperus rotundus and G: Pulicaria undulata- Solanum incanum) for the desert terraces. The vegetation zonation was clear, which started from real aquatic species in the wet meadows passing through mixed vegetation in the slopes and ended with proper xerophytic vegetation in the terraces. Conyza stricta- Cyperus longus community had the highest species diversity, while that of Potamogeton nodosus-Nasturtium officinale had the lowest. The principal component analysis indicated that HCO3, NO3, Mg, Cl, Ca, and pH values were the most effective soil variable. The presence of several segetal weeds suggests the alteration of the natural status of the desert-wetland ecosystem, and thus the conservation of these natural habitats becomes urgent.

Genotypic diversity has the potential to function in a similar manner to species diversity, particularly in ecosystems dominated by a single foundational plant, and may promote stability in the face of disturbance. However, it has primarily been documented only in terrestrial species or in seagrasses. We conducted three separate experiments in which we compared plant production between monocultures and polycultures of the widely distributed salt marsh macrophyte Spartina alterniflora, exposed to increased levels of stress from competition, herbivory, and tidal inundation (simulating the effects of sea-level rise). Increased levels of disturbance reduced aboveground growth of monocultures in all three experiments, but greater clonal diversity offset the negative effects of increased levels of all the stressors in polycultures. Our results contribute to a growing body of literature demonstrating that genotypic diversity of a foundational species can function analogously to species diversity. They also highlight the potential importance of high levels of genotypic diversity in this species in determining the response to anthropogenic disturbances and in management or restoration efforts.

Zooplankton is an important community in aquatic ecosystems due to its linkage between primary producers and secondary consumers, and by their key role in cycling organic materials. However, a low number of studies were performed in small lotic systems, mainly in savanna Cerrado headwater systems. Therefore, our objective was to investigate α and β diversities of the zooplankton community along 21 headwater streams in relation to micro-basin and sub-basin spatial scales and the water physicochemical parameters. Our hypotheses are that α diversity is negatively related to the increase on spatial scale and β diversity is positively related to the increase on scale. Zooplankton samples were taken using a bucket and filtered 200 L by a 64 µm mesh plankton net and preserved for subsequent identification. Water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, electrical conductivity, ions, and anions (nutrients) were measured. A total of 2650 individuals (m−3) from 19 taxa were collected. The most abundant taxa were Cyclopoida (copepodite; 24.4%) and rotifer Tricocerca cylindrica (17.7%). The lower spatial scale was the most important factor driving the α diversity. However, the richness of the zooplankton community did not change among sub-basins and micro-basins. Changes on species composition by nested spatial organization between habitat patches drove the β diversity. The communities from the same sub-basin and micro-basin were more structurally related than those from different basins. Finally, closer points show similar environmental characteristics and electrical conductivity concentration increases the species richness. Therefore, patterns of species diversity are essential to understand community ecology, as well as to provide information for conservation planning on savanna Cerrado streams.

Ficus L., commonly known as Fig, is a member of the family Moraceae (mulberry family) comprises 37 genera and approximately 1,100 species distributed in diverse ecosystems, especially in tropical and temperate regions of the world. The Ficus genus stands out as a keystone resource provider in many tropical forests, which is probably because of continuous non-seasonal fruiting in many species. It is one of the largest genera in the angiosperms about 750 species. The present study was carried out in the Forest Research Institute (FRI) campus, Dehradun (Uttarakhand), India. The phytodiversity of Ficus L. and their socio-economic values worked out during the investigation, religious-spiritual attachment, food of wild animals, ethnomedicinal and timber significance. There were 16 species of Ficus L. recorded from New Forest, FRI, Dehradun based on the morphological observations of taxonomically significant characteristics. The species found in FRI New Forest Dehradun were, Ficus benjamina, F. religiosa, F. racemosa, F. rumphii, F. retusa, F. krishnae, F. elastica, F. virens, F. semicordata, F. auriculata, F. hispida, F. pumila, F. palmata, F. drupacea, F. benghalensis, F. pomifera. Out of the notified 16 species of Ficus, 11 species were trees, 3 shrubs and 2 climbers in nature. The maximum leaf size (30×27cm2) was reported in F. auriculata, followed by F. semicordata (28×10cm2), F. benghalensis (25×11cm2). However, minimum leaf size was noticed in F. benjamina (4×2cm2) and F. retusa (4×3cm2). Among, 15 species, axillary fig (fruit) arrangement was observed, while one species (F. racemosa) has stem position of fruits. The current finding is itself a pioneer study to present a glimpse of such immense species diversity of single genera from sub-valley areas and will be a milestone for future studies in conservation and management of these wild varieties.

Using molecular markers and species delimitation analyses, a high diversity of bi-tentaculate Cirratulidae was discovered from the North-East Atlantic. Five new species are described: Chaetozone pseudosetosasp. nov., Chaetozone quintasp. nov., Chaetozone barentsensissp. nov., Chaetozone monteverdiisp. nov., and Chaetozone chambersaesp. nov. Several morphogroups are also described, even though the presence of cryptic diversity prevented naming of individual species. For each species presented, a molecular diagnostic is given from the universal barcode COI and, when available, the D1–D2 domains of the 28S rRNA. This increases the number of species in Chaetozone in northern European waters from ten to at least 17 species, the exact number of species remaining uncertain as taxonomic issues with older names remain unresolved.

The use of modern drugs to manage hypertension and diabetes is enough expensive and requires constant monitoring of the patient due to the chronicity and complications of these diseases. Thus, the populations of southern Burkina Faso have opted for the use of plants, including Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) R.Br. ex G. Don, Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst, Lannea acida A. Rich, Lannea microcarpa Engl. & K. Krause and Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile. To better contribute to preserving these five target species, the present study analyses the floristic diversity of the different vegetation types in which they occur, assesses their availability and determines the health status of their stands. To achieve this, a floristic inventory was conducted in 109 plots, including 26 plots of 500 m2 in riparian forests, 22 of 2500 m2 in fallows 31, 18 and 12 of 1000 m2 in tree savannahs, shrub savannahs and fenced areas, respectively. The diameter at breast height (dbh) of each individual of the target species was measured in each plot and its health status assessed. Results showed that species diversity varied significantly among vegetation types. According to the Shannon index, riparian forests were the most diversified (H = 2.62 ± 0.02 bits). Lannea microcarpa, Lannea acida, Sclerocarya birrea, and Balanites aegyptiaca were very frequent (Ri ≤ 60) to moderately frequent (60

The creation of reservoirs in river valleys for the accumulation of fresh water has been and remains an important issue around the world. This process has both positive and negative consequences for people and nature. Significant changes in the regime of rivers and their valleys, flooding of meadows and forests, flooding of soils and changes in the composition of flora and fauna of adjacent territories are taking place. In this article, we consider the restoration of the biodiversity of a site of disturbed lands after the creation of one of the first large reservoirs in Europe – the Dnieper (Zaporozhe) on the River Dnieper, which has existed since 1933. The territory of the Samara floodplains was formed on the floodplain of the mouth of the Samara River, as a result of which the territories of various forest, meadow and bog biotopes were flooded. For almost 90 years, new biotopes have been developing, and populations of plant and animal species, especially waterfowl, have been renewed and enriched. In the conditions of climate change and anthropogenic pressure, the existence of this territory has fallen into question. To control the conservation of biodiversity, it is necessary to apply various management methods, one of which is creation of nature reserves. The article presents the results of a complex of scientific studies that were carried out during the zoning of the regional park Samara Plavni to improve the management of the protection of water areas and river banks. We have investigated: hydrological features, species diversity of the flora and coenotic diversity of the vegetation, fauna of aquatic invertebrates, and terrestrial vertebrates. Zoning of the Regional Landscape Park was based on the composition of stable components of ecosystems. When applying the protected regime in different zones, conditions will be created for the preservation of habitats of species, including those protected in Europe: higher plants (Senecio borysthenicus (DC.) Andrz. ex Czern., Tragopogon borystenicus Artemcz.), reptiles (Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus, 1758), Vipera renardi (Christoph, 1861)), birds (Aythya ferina (Linnaeus, 1758), Vanellus vanellus (Linnaeus, 1758), Haematopus ostralegus Linnaeus, 1758, Numenius arquata (Linnaeus, 1758), Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758), Lanius excubitor (Linnaeus, 1758)), mammals (Lutra lutra (Linnaeus, 1758)). Such changes would increase the implementation of the reproductive potential of all species without exception in the studied ecosystems.

Cyanobacteria are a group of diverse prokaryotes that are capable of oxygenic photosynthesis. They are ubiquitous in nature and have been reported to survive in extreme environments. This study aimed to identify and assess the diversity of the cyanobacteria present in some mine tailing sites in the towns of Itogon and Tuba, in Benguet Province, Philippines using isolation-dependent and isolation-independent methods. Analysis of the water and sediment samples from the mine tailing sites (designated as Acu, Ampu, TSF1 and TSF3) showed higher metal concentrations in the sediment samples (2930–11,500 mg/kg dry weight Ca, 10–34 mg/kg dry weight Cr, 83–6500 mg/kg dry weight Cu, 6–172 mg/kg dry weight Pb, 8310–32,600 mg/kg dry weight Mg, 640–3400 mg/kg dry weight K, 43–144 mg/kg dry weight Zn), which were then processed for cyanobacterial enrichment. Identification of cyanobacteria was performed using the conventional isolation-dependent method for the characterization of microorganisms, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and isolation-independent 16S rRNA metabarcoding analysis. Both approaches revealed that Arthronema africanum (1.98–60.1%) and Leptolyngbya spp. (39.9–97.0%) of the Pseudoanabaenales dominated the cyanobacterial composition in all sites. The isolation-dependent method identified most of the dominant taxa such as Arthronema africanum, Leptolyngbya spp. and Calothrix spp. Nodosilinea spp. was also confirmed to be part of the cyanobacterial community through this method. Unicellular cyanobacteria such as Chroococcales and Synechococcales were also observed. However, they were not fully identified at lower taxonomic levels in both methods, especially Chroococcales. On the other hand, the isolation-independent method recovered other taxa in selected sites such as Calothrix (0.002–0.022%), Halomicronema (0.01%), Nostoc (0.006–0.03%), Phormidium (0.007–14.1%), Planktothrix (0.36%), Pseudoanabaena (0.02–0.6%), Acaryochloris (0.006%), and Thermosynechococcus (0.02–4.7%). Metabarcoding revealed that samples from small-scale mine tailing ponds of Acu and Ampu, and the inactive pond of the large scale mining site, TSF1, had higher species diversity and evenness as compared to its active pond, TSF3, based on Shannon and Simpson indices. However, TSF1 and TSF3 of the large-scale mine tailings had higher species richness than Acu and Ampu of small-scale mining based on Chao index. Altogether, this study provided an inventory of cyanobacteria that can survive even in extreme metal conditions giving insights to their future applications, particularly, in bioremediation.

High-diversity communities may mitigate the impact of environmental changes on soil erosion owing to the compositional, structural, and functional diversity of their species. In this field study, we explored the relative contributions of these biodiversity components to soil erosion and the mitigating effects of each index under environmental changes (e.g., rainfall intensity). We investigated the compositional (species diversity and evenness), structural (tree diameter and height diversity), and functional diversity (functional richness, evenness, and divergence) of 12 plant communities on Hainan Island, where biodiversity loss is severe. We measured soil erosion in each community using erosion plots under different rainfall intensities. The direction and relative contribution of biodiversity indices to soil erosion were analyzed. Except for the functional evenness, high values of biodiversity indices were associated with significantly reduced soil erosion regardless of rainfall intensity, and the relative contribution of tree height diversity was greater than that of other biodiversity indices. In addition, multiple biodiversity factors alleviated the adverse effects of increased rainfall intensity on soil erosion, but plant structural diversity had a greater positive effect than compositional and functional diversity, predominantly because of tree height diversity. The results confirmed that the consideration of multiple biodiversity components provides an improved understanding of the relationship between biodiversity loss and soil erosion. We emphasize that protection of tree height diversity may not only effectively reduce current soil erosion, but also resist the adverse impact of increased rainfall intensity on soil erosion in the future.

Biodiversity is not evenly distributed among related groups, raising questions about the factors contributing to such disparities. The sunflower family (Asteraceae, >26,000 species) is among the largest and most diverse plant families, but its species diversity is concentrated in a few subfamilies, providing an opportunity to study the factors affecting biodiversity. Phylotranscriptomic analyses here of 244 transcriptomes and genomes produced a phylogeny with strong support for the monophyly of Asteraceae and the monophyly of most subfamilies and tribes. This phylogeny provides a reference for detecting changes in diversification rates and possible factors affecting Asteraceae diversity, which include global climate shifts, whole-genome duplications (WGDs), and morphological evolution. The origin of Asteraceae was estimated at ~83 Mya, with most subfamilies having diverged before the Cretaceous-Paleocene boundary. Phylotranscriptomic analyses supported the existence of 41 WGDs in Asteraceae. Changes to herbaceousness and capitulescence with multiple flower-like capitula, often with distinct florets and scaly pappus/receptacular bracts, are associated with multiple upshifts in diversification rate. WGDs might have contributed to the survival of early Asteraceae by providing new genetic materials to support morphological transitions. The resulting competitive advantage for adapting to different niches would have increased biodiversity in Asteraceae.

The utility of elevational gradients as tools to test either ecological hypotheses and delineate elevation‐associated environmental factors that explain the species diversity patterns is critical for moss species conservation. We examined the elevational patterns of species richness and evaluated the effects of spatial and environmental factors on moss species predicted a priori by alternative hypotheses, including mid‐domain effect (MDE), habitat complexity, energy, and environment proposed to explain the variation of diversity. Last, we assessed the contribution of elevation toward explaining the heterogeneity among sampling sites. We observed the hump‐shaped distribution pattern of species richness along elevational gradient. The MDE and the habitat complexity hypothesis were supported with MDE being the primary driver for richness patterns, whereas little support was found for the energy and the environmental factors., We observed the hump‐shaped distribution pattern of species richness along elevational gradient. The mid‐domain effect (MDE) and the habitat complexity hypothesis were supported with MDE being the primary driver for richness patterns, whereas little support was found for the energy and the environment. Moss species richness pattern in the mountain is driven by ecological and evolutionary effects, whereas evolutionary factors predominately shape the large heterogeneity through dispersal, extinction, and speciation processes.

The impact of ungulates on the forest vegetation has far-reaching consequences: it decreases species diversity and the production of biomass, causes soil dehydration, erosion and eutrophication the entire forest community. The article addresses the influence of fallow deer and mouflon on the forest vegetation in the Holedná game reserve (western border of the city of Brno, South Moravia, Czech Republic) and compares differences with the forests adjacent to the game reserve. Sixty localities were distributed randomly and phytosociological relevés subsequently recorded there according to the age of the stands inside and outside of the game reserve. The differences in floristic composition were compared for trees, shrubs and herbs, the herb layer species number, the diversity indices and the values of Ellenberg indicators. In the game reserve, a significant difference was found in the coverage of the herb and shrub layer, which was significantly lower than outside the territory. Furthermore, the increased amount of nitrophilous, heliophytes and ruderal herb species inside the game reserve exhibited affiliation to the interior of game reserve. Besides, young trees and woody sapling were less abundant or even missing inside of game reserve. By contrast, the frequency of typical species of oak-hornbeam forests was higher outside game reserve. Due to the higher number of animals and consequent disturbances, nitrophilous plant species dominate in the herb layer of the game reserve, while forest species are more often represented outside it.

Few studies have examined the succession of plant communities in the alpine zone. Studying the succession of plant communities is helpful to understand how species diversity is formed and maintained. In this study, we used species inventories, a molecular phylogeny, and trait data to detect patterns of phylogenetic and functional community structure in successional plant communities growing on the mounds of Himalayan marmots (Marmota himalayana) on the southeast edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We found that phylogenetic and functional diversities of plant communities on marmot mounds tended to cluster during the early to medium stages of succession, then trended toward overdispersion from medium to late stages. Alpine species in early and late stages of succession were phylogenetically and functionally overdispersed, suggesting that such communities were assembled mainly through species interactions, especially competition. At the medium and late stages of succession, alpine communities growing on marmot mounds were phylogenetically and functionally clustered, implying that the communities were primarily structured by environmental filtering. During the medium and late stages of succession the phylogenetic and functional structures of plant communities on marmot mounds differed significantly from those on neighboring sites. Our results indicate that environmental filtering and species interactions can change plant community composition at different successional stages. Assembly of plant communities on marmot mounds was promoted by a combination of traits that may provide advantages for survival and adaptation during periods of environmental change., Highlights • Alpine plant communities on marmot mounds are structured by environmental filtering and species interactions. • Plant community composition on marmot mounds changes during succession. • Trends of phylogenetic clustering can be caused by a decrease in distantly related species. • Otherwise, the process increasing remote species will led to the trends of phylogenetic overdispersion.